Oil and the U.S. economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oil and the U.S. economy - Assignment Example The US remains very dependent on these foreign oil reserves for its functioning economy which leaves us helpless to disruption. The US consumes more than 25% of the world’s oil and this is going up by 2% every year; 57% of this oil being consumed is imported from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Mexico (Churchill). What this means is the US is built around the use of oil for cheap, reliable energy. The US economy, from its most basic consumer base, cannot survive without it for very long. Despite the US’s clear dependence on foreign oil the US is less dependent on this oil as it was in 1973 and 1980. According to the New York Times, â€Å"the energy used for each dollar of gross domestic product in 1980 was almost 70 percent greater than it is today. While we have collectively wrung our hands over the decline of manufacturing in the country, it has also reduced the relationship between energy prices and growth† (Goolsbee). The US commuter is more dependent than ever though. People live farther from their work and drive more. Because fuel efficiency standards in the US stopped going up in 1990, fuel inefficiency creates a higher demand among US commuter for oil to fill their tanks. When oil prices go up dramatically like in summer of 2008 the US commuter was forced to make difficult choices, and the economy scaled back because the consumer was left in shock by such high prices. This oil shock was right before the economic downturn (Panzner). On the stock market commodity prices and stock prices have an interesting relationship. When commodities go down in value, stocks usually go up in value (Mitchell). This relationship causes some people to look at oil prices in relation to the US economy as a whole when thinking about where the US economy will be going. Oil prices are a big commodity that many analysts look at, and if oil prices change, commodities in general change. This is because oil

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths Research Paper

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths - Research Paper Example This myth can be traced back to the origin of America. However, in today’s scenario, how much this myth still holds true today will be considered in this paper. America originated to provide opportunities to its entrants; however, it has not fulfilled its promise to its full extent. This fact cannot be denied that America accommodated all who entered its territories but the resident will see progress and success is not wholly true. Franklin Benjamin, in his article, â€Å"America as the Land of Opportunity† (1751), explains that America was a new land, which had space for many entrants and offered people with their bright futures. The land was very accommodative and the level of people’s profession increased with their struggle in the profession as Franklin Benjamin (1751) informs that America was a place, â€Å"where no Man continues long a Laborer for others, but gets a Plantation of his own, no Man continues long a Journeyman to a Trade but goes among those n ew Settlers, and set up for himself† and so on. Every person who entered the new land had an opportunity to see himself and his family prosperous and successful. American dream is an interrelated term with the myth of America as a land of opportunity. ... There was chance for one’s family to receive better educational, health and other facilities. The American dream allowed the new settlers to enjoy their lives the way they liked. They were given all the opportunities to lead a happy life with all the facilities that they required. There were no restrictions for the new settlers in terms of exercising their religious practices, promoting their cultures and making use of their own languages due to which, America is a multicultural country today where we can find people from diverse cultures all over the world (Cullen 126). This provides the original definition of America as a land of opportunity. Eighteenth century saw the early settlers in America while with the passage of time, people from different nations came for settling purposes to America (Brueggmann 51). These people also showed interest towards transforming their luck. They had high rated ideas about their future success and development. America as a new land offered i ts dwellers with all the chances that it could provide. However, when people assembled in America to a large extent, they faced the same deprivations as others faced in their own countries. Pete Davis (2009) explains about America’s being a land of opportunity as an image that is incorrectly built as he informs that other nations provide better facilities to their residents in terms of mobility as compared to America. People are not able to transform their status altogether because of economic problems that shift from one generation to other. According to Pete Davis (2009), â€Å"if you're born poor in America, you're likely to remain poor† because

Therapies Approaches Essay Example for Free

Therapies Approaches Essay What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the following approaches to therapy? (A) Psychoanalysis: The main goal of psychoanalysis is to resolve internal conflicts that lead to emotional suffering. Traditional psychoanalysis called for three to five therapy sessions a week, however, treatment may still go on for years for the sake of increasing the application and the accuracy of the analysis of the behavioral development of the clients attended with through the said therapy. Today through the application of the new approaches of psychology, the said therapy has already been briefed to be able to give ample and accurate solutions to issues that clients are supposed to take into consideration. This therapy is then noted for its capability to analyze the different factors that contribute to the situations that clients are primarily involved with. However, with the lengthened way of applying the process, finding solutions becomes less applicative in this manner of psychological approach. (B) Person-centered therapy: Individual-focused, this is the characteristic of this particular approach. Since it is individual, the subject becomes more concise and much easier to identify. Having to deal with the issue through the singularity of the subject actually notes the possibility of being more specific with the solutions that are formulated along the application of the therapy. However, being individually centered makes the approach less broad. (C) Behavior therapy: Behavior centered therapy incites the importance of approaching the problem through knowing who and how the person or the client is dealing with the situations that he is facing in life. Through this therapy, the examination of the situation shall be based on the ideal character of the person being dealt with. This makes the process of understanding the problem more accurate and more efficient. (D) Cognitive therapy: This therapy actually notes the process of using the attitudes and reactions of the clients to be able to create the most possible solution available for the problem to be answered. Considerably, cognitive therapy is actually an approach that estimates the specific manner by which people react to the different issues that they deal with everyday. Although effective in many ways, it is indeed noticeable how this particular therapy is subjected to some issues since people change every now and then. (E) Drug therapy: Medication may not be as effective as expected all the time. At some point, this process may even result to a more complicated problem that could be due to overdose. Although helpful, too many limitations should be considered in pursuing this particular approach in psychological therapy. References: Samuel E. Wood, Ellen Green Wood, and Denise Boyd. (2007). Mastering the World of Psychology (3rd Edition) (MyPsychLab Series). Allyn Bacon; 3 edition.

Angry and Ignorant: Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College Essay

â€Å"Ignorance is bliss†. The line from Thomas Gray’s poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, published in 1747, has lasted throughout the ages due to its omnipresent applicableness. This is especially seen in the public’s view on war before World War II. Before pictures and news reports from the World Wars were publicized, the United States home front did not see a problem with going to war. All they had heard from the war was propagandize success. However, some people, like poets Carl Sandburg and Nan Braymer, knew the true brutality of war. In Buttons and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam, Sandburg and Braymer both use aggressive diction and imagery to portray different themes; Buttons creates a theme that people are often ignorant to things that are unpleasant, and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam creates a theme that loss of control can lead to anger. The aggressive diction in Buttons reflects the attitude towards war during World War I. In this time, pictures and information about the brutality of war were just getting out to the public, but most did not pay attention. Sandburg says the buttons, which represented the soldiers, were â€Å"shoved† around the map, showing that people were ignorant to the trials of war. If the people at home knew what the soldiers were going through for them, they would be more considerate to the buttons. Even the way the map was â€Å"slammed† up onto the board outside the newspaper stand was not showing it the recognition and respect it deserves. Because the people did not understand the unpleasant happenings of World War I, they did not show proper respect to the map and the buttons. Likewise, Braymer uses aggressive diction in Five Day Requiem for Vietnam to express the anger that the fighting soldie... ... devices of imagery and aggressive diction, Sandburg and Braymer both create different themes. Sandburg uses the devices to convey that people are often ignorant to that which is unpleasant to hear, and Braymer conveys the theme that loss of control can lead to anger. Even though the poems were written about World War I and Vietnam, the themes created are still seen in human nature today. There is always a problem that people choose to ignore instead of working to improve, and there will always be people lashing out due to manipulation. This reveals how, even with societal developments, human nature will never really change. Works Cited "Carl Sandburg Poems - Buttons." Carl Sandburg Poems - Buttons. Andyy Barr Productions, 1998. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. "Voices Education Project." Nan Braymer: Five Day Requiem for Vietnam. Marilyn Turkovich, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

Has the Time Come to Legalize Drugs? Essay

Legalization of drugs — long an issue championed mainly by fringe groups — is rapidly moving to the mainstream in Latin America. Last week’s surprise statement by former Mexican President Vicente Fox in support of â€Å"legalizing production, sales and distribution† of drugs made big headlines around the world. Fox, a former close U.S. ally who belongs to the same center-right political party as President Felipe Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, rocked the boat at home by indirectly criticizing the very premise of Calderon’s all-out military offensive against Mexico’s drug cartels, which has cost 28,000 lives since 2006. Calderon immediately responded that he opposes legalization of drugs, although he has opened a dialogue with political parties about the future of his country’s anti-drug policies. The left-of-center Party of the Democratic Revolution announced that it supports â€Å"de facto legalization† of drugs. Fox’s statement, first published Saturday in his blog, went far beyond a 2009 joint declaration by former Presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Cesar Gaviria of Colombia. In that statement, the three former leaders questioned the effectiveness of the U.S. war on drugs and proposed de-criminalizing possession of marijuana for personal use. While the three centrist former presidents’ proposal amounted to not prosecuting people for consuming marijuana, Fox’s proposal calls for legalization of all major drugs — the whole enchilada. In an extended interview, Fox told me that he is making his proposal because drug-related violence in Mexico has reached intolerable levels, and because the experience of other countries such as the Netherlands has shown that allowing drug sales has not significantly driven up drug consumption. â€Å"Prohibitionist policies have hardly worked anywhere,† Fox told me. â€Å"Prohibition of alcohol in the United States [in the 1920’s] never worked, and it only helped trigger violence and crime.† Since possession of small amounts of marijuana has already been decriminalized in Mexico, what’s needed now are bolder steps, such as legalizing drug production and using the taxes it generates to fund anti-drug education programs, he said. â€Å"What I’m proposing is that, instead of allowing this business to continue being run by criminals, by cartels, that it be run by law-abiding business people who are registered with the Finance Ministry, pay taxes and create jobs,† Fox said. Fox called for a reversal of Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s decision to send the army into the streets to fight the drug cartels because â€Å"the army is not prepared to do police work, and we are seeing day to day how the army’s image is losing ground in Mexico† as a result of this war. Why didn’t you come out with this proposal when you were president? I asked. Fox responded that legalization was often discussed in Cabinet meetings during his presidency, but that the urgency of such a measure has increased since â€Å"because of the extraordinary cost we are paying in a drop in tourism, a drop in investments and a lack of attention to education and health.† In a separate interview, White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske told me that drug legalization is a â€Å"non-starter† in the Obama administration. Kerlikowske disputed the idea that alcohol prohibition drove up crime in the United States in the 1920s, arguing that there were no reliable crime statistics at the time. And he rejected the notion that there has been no major increase in drug consumption in the Netherlands. â€Å"In the Netherlands, consumption did go up. In fact, the Netherlands has been in the process of closing down hundreds of the marijuana cafes that had been in existence because of the problems that are occurring,† he said. My opinion: I’m not convinced that a blanket legalization of drugs would work because government regulation of the cocaine and heroin businesses in countries that already have high corruption rates would result in greater official corruption. On the other hand, it’s clear that after four years of Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s U.S.-backed war on drugs, the cartels are smuggling more drugs, killing more people and becoming richer. Perhaps the time has come to take a step-by-step approach and start a serious debate about passing laws that would regulate legal production of marijuana, alongside massive education campaigns to discourage people from using it. Then, we could see who is right and consider what to do next. (c) Miami Herald. Miami Herald content is the intellectual property of Miami Herald. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Miami Herald content is expressly prohibited by federal law. Miami Herald shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/12/1772336/has-the-time-come-to-legalize.html Commentary Number 1 The question raised in this article is a complex one. Mexican President Felipe Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s hesitancy at enforcing drug-legalization policies is understandable, as the legalization of drugs in a drug-war-torn country such as Mexico can be beneficial or adverse from an economic point of view. One might argue that such measures would bring about a series of negative externalities on the public such as harmful health effects. A majority believes that the legalization of drugs will increase crime rates; most people under the influence of narcotics are prone to violent crimes. However, the reasons ex-President Vicente Fox has for de-criminalizing drugs appear to outweigh the adverse effects. The law of demand states that as price falls, the quantity demanded rises, and as prices rise, quantity demanded falls. This illustrates that legalization of drugs will reduce the profit criminals make. Every time the government takes hold of a drug dealer and the products he is selling, supply of the drug to the illegal drug market is reduced. If there is a reduced supply, there is an increase in price of the good. Drug-addicts are helpless, and thus they will buy the drug for the higher price, giving the criminal dealer more profit. Every time the government thinks it is winning its drug war, it is actually losing; the illegal state of these drugs aids the dealers, harming the government. Figure 2 Price elasticity of demand of a good is a measure of the extent to which the quantity demanded of a good changes when its price changes. As is illustrated on Figures 1 and 2, due to the fact that drugs are a necessity to drug-addicts, they are willing to buy pretty much the same quantity of the drug at any price, thus making the price elasticity of demand of drugs inelastic (when the quantity demanded remains similar as the price changes). If drugs are legalized, the government can benefit from its demand price inelasticity by taxing on drugs, and thus making more profit that can be allocated accordingly. Drug consumers will not care whether they are paying more than they should be and will buy the legal drug at the price it is sold legally. Other people will notice why the drug is inelastic, and will avoid them due to its addictive dangers. Thus, the absence of undercover drug dealing will show people the dangers of drugs and lead to consumers and producers providing less of the drug once the government starts taxing, thus leading to a smaller population using them. The most beneficial aspect of drug legalization in Mexico would be taxing on the drug. As demand for drugs is inelastic, the tax revenue raised will be large. Additionally, the deadweight loss (fall in total surplus consumers and producers make) will be smaller as the consumers will not consume less at first even though producers will produce at a less quantity. These are shown on Figure 3. The consumers will pay more taxes as they desperately need to buy the drug, and eventually will try and consume less when they become financially diminished. They will seek rehabilitation, and thus shrink the market for drugs. If the government correctly uses the revenues raised by taxing on drugs to promote healthcare and drug rehabilitation, the Mexican economy can cause a decline in overall drug sale and use. Figure 3 In conclusion, Mexico’s ex-President Vicente Fox should proceed with convincing the government to legalize drugs, as this measure will not only reduce consumption and production of these harmful products, but also promote society and the economy by raising revenue to enhance health and other aspects of the economy that need betterment.

How to Make a Volcano Using Pop Rocks

The classic homemade chemical volcano relies on a reaction between baking soda and vinegar to produce an eruption of foamy lava, but you can make a volcano even if you dont have these ingredients. One easy way is to use Pop Rocks candy and carbonated soda. The reaction between these two ingredients gave rise to the false notion that drinking cola and eating Pop Rocks would cause your stomach to explode. Its true the two ingredients combine to produce a lot of gas, but if you eat them, you burp out the bubbles. In a homemade volcano, you can make a cool eruption. Heres what you do: Pop Rocks Volcano Materials 20-oz bottle of any soda or other carbonate beveragepacket of Pop Rocks candy (red or orange colored flavors look most like lava)model volcano If you dont have a model volcano, you can use homemade dough to form the shape of a volcano around the unopened soda bottle. If you like, paint or decorate the dough so it looks like a volcano. How To Make the Volcano Erupt The eruption can be messy, much like the Mentos and soda reaction, so its a good idea to set up your volcano outdoors, on a kitchen counter, or in a bathtub. Otherwise, place a plastic tablecloth around the volcano to make clean-up easier.Dont open the soda until you are ready for the eruption. When its time, carefully uncap the bottle. Disturb it as little as possible, to help prevent gas from escaping.Pour in the Pop Rocks candies. One way to get all the candy into the volcano at once is to roll up a sheet of paper into a tube. Put your finger on the end of the tube to close it off and pour in the Pop Rocks. Release the candies over the mouth of the bottle. Move away quickly or youll get sprayed with lava! How the Volcano Works Pop Rocks contain pressurized carbon dioxide gas that is trapped inside a candy coating. When you eat them, your saliva dissolves the sugar, releasing the gas. The sudden release of pressure makes the popping and cracking sound  since ​the  pressure of the gas breaks out of the candy once it gets thin enough. The volcano works much the same way, except its the soda that dissolves the candy shell to release the gas. The eruption is made more forceful by the sudden release of carbon dioxide in the soda. The bits of candy provide surface area for the dissolve carbon dioxide in the soda to collect and form bubbles, which push their way out of the narrow mouth of the bottle. Things To Try If you want lava that overflows the volcano, try adding a squirt of dishwashing soda to the soda before you add the Pop Rocks. For more colorful lava, add a few drops of red or orange food coloring to the soda or else use a red-colored soda, like Big Red, or a brown soda, like Dr. Pepper or any brand of root beer. Some energy drinks are also lava-colored. At that matters is that the drink is carbonated.

Essay on Rwandan Genocide Tutsis versus Hutus - 1421 Words

Rwandan Genocide: Tutsis vs. Hutus The many tears that stream down my face cry for the generations of my kids to come. I sit here as an innocent victimized Tutsi woman, to tell you my story of the Rwandan genocide and how it impacted my people. Through many years of pain and suffering I sit here before you to relieve my anger and install my knowledge of why the Belgium through colonization only installed more love in me toward my people and hatred towards me for not being able to help my people. My name is Immaculee Ilibagiza a Tutsi woman and this is my survival, comfort story. According to the book Peacemaking in Rwanda, that I Immaculee made my children read (in order to get an understanding of why this hateful genocide of 1994†¦show more content†¦Because the genocide was, â€Å"conducted in ethnic terms† (Jones, pg. 16), I pray to God that I Immaculee can teach you my greatest gift to love your enemies for they are you. According to the book Peacemaking in Rwanda, Hutus and Tutsis had prior hate towards one another due to â€Å"wealth, military prowess, family, and control over a precious commodity, or occupation of a prestigious social position.† (Jones, pg. 18) This meant at any time my children that Tutsis could become Hutus and Hutus could become Tutsis. Due to this my children, I come before to tell you never to hate your very own people. Clan lineage in Rwanda was were, power and status placed a role in the leading of the people as that determined who was a high authority amongst the different yet similar clans. While clan l ineage played a role in who would lead the different clans, Rwanda before World War I was colonized by Germans. Sadly my kids, after World War I colonization moved on to the Belgium and this is was the day, when I saw my life flash before my eyes. The once peaceful Rwanda had changed within a day. When the Belgium came into power they â€Å"imposed on the contrary an intellectual and administrative simplification that equated â€Å"Tutsi’s† with â€Å"ruling class†.†(Jones, pg. 19) Throughout the Belgium ruling, Tutsis were the chosen ones to do all of the administrative work for the League of Nations Mandate. Due to this Belgium’s required for Tutsis to carry around cards that specifically showed andShow MoreRelatedThe Rwandan Genocide : Violent And Very Cruel Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pages The Rwandan genocide was very violent and very cruel. Many people were killed and were raped. This war was not more than where you were born and what family you belong to. In 1918 Belgium took over Rwanda, but in 1933 the Belgians forced the Rwandans into two different categories. The Hutus and the Tutsis. Everything started just because it was easier to know where all the blacks were if they were in separate groups. 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